


Bark Less, Wag More

by IWillBeYourPet



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: A surprising amount of safe sane and consensual for this fandom, Aftercare, Anxiety, Anxious Will Graham, Bonding, Codependency, Collars, Dom/sub Undertones, Dont knock it till ya try it, Embarrassment, Emotional Will Graham, Hannibal Lecter Loves Will Graham, M/M, Nudity, Please do not copy or translate, Protective Hannibal Lecter, Puppy Play, Puppy Play as Therapy, Slow Burn, Subdrop, Subspace, Uh... A little more slash than pre slash than I planned, Unorthodox Therapy, Will Graham is a Mess, non-sexual puppy play
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:06:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25919314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IWillBeYourPet/pseuds/IWillBeYourPet
Summary: **All WIPs on temp hiatus**Hannibal suggests an unorthodox therapy to Will that he thinks may help him deal with his stress and anxiety.Will is absolutely not interested.  Not even a little.  Well...maybe a little.  If the good doctor insists.Hannibal is a little bit manipulative (I don't think he could stop completely if he wanted to) but with nearly all good intentions as he encourages Will to give Puppy Play a try as a form of therapy.  Will is reluctant, but fully consenting.  (And more interested than his pride is willing to let him admit)I love the thought of Hannibal being protective of Will, especially from Jack.  Someone should protect Will.This was supposed to be mostly pre-slash, but it is difficult to keep it platonic with these two, so its like slash light.Please do not post to other sites, copy or translate this work.
Relationships: Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Comments: 63
Kudos: 329
Collections: Hannigram





	1. Just a Suggestion

Hannibal was listening to his patient, nodding as they babbled on when his phone dinged. It startled the patient and it took him a moment as well as he gave them an apologetic smile.

“That is me, I do apologize, I leave the number for emergencies on. Give me one second.” Truth be told the only number he didn’t silence while he was in sessions was Will. He glanced down at the text.

‘ _ Need to talk to you. Now.” _

Hannibal glanced at the woman across from her, looking more miffed by the second and wrote back, ‘ _ I am with a patient Will. Perhaps we can meet later. _ ’

Outside of his office he thought he heard a door shut and his phone dinged again, ‘ _ I’ll wait.’ _

He glanced at the door again, certain that he had an agitated Will Graham out there, and settled his phone back into his pocket as he turned his full attention on his patient. “Please, continue.”

Though she looked mildly agitated it was easy to placate her with a few soft words and he settled in to listen, those his thoughts stayed firmly on Will.

By the time his session was over and he ushered her out it was clear Will had worked himself up into a tantrum. The man’s eyes were wide, body thrumming with agitation, but he waited until the woman was completely out of the waiting room and the door was shut before he moved. 

“Will, to what do I owe this-”

“You told Jack to treat me like a dog?”

“Will-”

“He kept grabbing my shirt collar to drag me around a crime scene. And told me to stay. To  _ sit _ .”

“Perhaps we can go to my office, Will, and talk about this properly.”

“He patted my head, Hannibal.”

His mouth quirked, unable to completely hide his amusement, but hid it quickly. Not quick enough it would seem as Will stood up straighter as he realized what the reaction meant, “You really did tell him that?”

“No, Will. I did not tell him to treat you like a dog.” Will’s eyes searched his face and his shoulders slumped slightly even as Hannibal added, “Not exactly.”

He had an up close view of Will’s eye widening behind his glasses as he watched betrayal and anger war on the man’s face. He was going to let him have his tantrum but Will was rubbing at his eyes, violently shaking his head like he didn’t believe it, his whole body tensed up. He needed him to calm down.

Hannibal moved closer to him, reaching out to place his hand on Will’s shoulder, fingers digging in just slightly when the man tried to pull away, and that was all it took for him to settle into it. “Please come into my office Will, let me explain.” Will wanted to storm off as Hannibal gave him the smallest tug, but because more than that Will wanted to be convinced it wasn’t true, he let himself be pulled forward.

He was pressed towards a chair but he only snarled at Hannibal, slinking to the far side of the office to press against the wall, wrapping his arms around himself protectively. “Well?”

Hannibal made an aborted motion towards the chair before he realized it was pointless and instead moved to the side of the room as Will, stopping when he was close enough that the other curled in on himself. “Will, I did not tell Jack to treat you like that, and certainly not at a crime scene.”

“What did you tell him?”

“Will you listen to me Will, without interrupting?”

“Why?” Hannibal only looked at him and Will petulantly threw himself back against the wall and huffed out a breath. “Fine. Go ahead,  _ doctor.” _

He tilted his head in wordless thanks. “I told Jack that one possible outlet for your anxiety and stress could be if you were given a safe space to exist for periods of time without the burdens of human emotions and obligations. I-”

There was a snort from Will, frustration and panic clear in the sound, “You did tell him to.”

“I asked for no interuptions, Will.” They stared off for a few seconds but abruptly Will nodded and looked down at his shoes. Hannibal let the silence fill the room longer, watching Will’s shoulders curl in like the weight of the world was on them. A fond smile tugged at his mouth but he pushed it away, sure that in his current state the man would think he was being mocked. 

“It could take several forms. Because of your dogs, your pack, I suggested it may be something that you would understand and may appeal to you. But I told him that I would discuss it with  _ you _ . Puppy play, as it were, in a safe environment for short negotiated periods of time.”

The tension had slowly eased from Will’s shoulders, as his eyes darted up to Hannibal’s face, searching it quickly before he looked away again. “Tell him to never do that again.”

“Did you not tell him yourself?”

The toe of Will’s shoe dug into the carpet and he muttered, mostly to himself. “Oh, I told him something.” Again those eyes came up and they met Hannibal’s and held the contact, and there was helpless anger there, “He listens to you over me, though. Even when it’s about me.” 

Hannibal nodded, “I will talk to him as soon as we are done here, I want to apologize Will, I’m not entirely surprised that he seemed to only hear what he wanted to, and I should have taken that into account. I promise you, I only had the best of intentions in bringing it up as an option.”

Will’s shoulders finally completely slumped, the adrenalin from the conflict draining away, leaving him shaky and tired. “Good.” There was a hesitation there though, a nervous tugging at his sleeve, “Because I’m not a dog.”

As clear as if the man had said it Hannibal could see the interest in Will’s eyes. Now that his ego and feelings had been soothed, could see that the man was curious.

“Of course.” He didn’t push, he didn’t have to. He was sure all he had to do was wait.


	2. Chapter 2

Hannibal did as he promised he would, calling Jack once Will had left his office. He could barely contain his ire when Jack complained to him that it had made Will easier to manage though. He could picture it, Will already overwhelmed and on edge at a crime scene with Jack’s bullying only pushing him closer to the edge. Of course it would cause the man to fold. It was a battle to keep the fury out of his voice as he convinced Jack that he would cause damage to the other man if he attempted it again. And then lied that he thought he was wrong, that it would not be beneficial to Will, and that he didn’t intend to pursue it.

Of course that wasn’t entirely untrue, he didn’t intend to pursue it as he was sure that Will would. He didn’t have to wait long.

Two weeks since he had brought it up and Hannibal knew as soon as he saw Will where the man’s mind was at. He anxiously wandered Hannibal’s office as he babbled, picking up books and setting them down, burning off his nervous energy.

He let him continue for a while but when Will picked up the same book for the third time he finally leaned forward, “You seem very agitated today Will, would you like to talk about it?”

Will looked at him over the top of the book and it was the first time he had made eye contact since he walked in the room. His face was red, mouth in a thin line, and he watched Hannibal for a few moments before his eyes darted away and he cleared his throat. “I, uh. I looked up what you mentioned. A few weeks ago and it was uh…” He trailed off and his face was more red, “What I found didn’t exactly look like therapy.”

Hannibal nodded because he had expected that. “I’m sure most of what you found was not therapy sessions. While many people do engage in it as a sexual act, there are those that it is something else. I could show you some literature on it, if you’d like.” Will’s jaw clenched, staring at the book in his hands like it held all the secrets to the universe but wouldn’t hand them over. There was no response so Hannibal gently probed, “I take this to mean that you are interested in the suggestion?”

“No.” Big eyes darting up to his, needy and unsure. Even from across the room he could see Will swallow, holding the eye contact. “Maybe.”

He motioned at the chair across from him, “Why don’t you come over here so we can talk, Will.” The man hedged, leaning back against the wall, but finally dropped the book on the shelf and moved stiffly towards him, dropping dramatically into the chair.

“I’m not a dog.” His sweet defensive Will, the man could barely settle before he was snapping the words out. 

Tilting his head Hannibal narrowed his eyes at him and spoke softly, “Would you like to be for a little while, though?”

He hadn’t been wrong about the flash of want on Will’s face, it settled there even as Will wrapped his arms around himself, like he was trying to tuck it away. “What, what would it even be like? What would I do?”

“You would do whatever you’d like to Will. A timer could be set, at least to start, and for that period of time you would just have to… not concern yourself with anything other than what a dog would. How far you wanted to take it would be up to you and up to…” He hesitated, he hated to even suggest it, his hackles up at the thought of Jack having so much power over Will, getting to see Will so open and vulnerable. “Up to Jack?” He made it a question, carefully not showing the resulting thrill when Will vehemently shook his head.

“No. Not him. I will not, not with him.”

“You certainly don’t need to have another person with you, though I think without a handler of some sort you won’t be able to completely give in. Did you have someone else in mind?”

Will’s eyes pointedly came up to his, and he didn’t bother to act like he was surprised. It wasn’t like he hadn’t expected that answer. The blush that had nearly faded from Will’s face came back full force as he dropped his eyes.

He didn’t make him ask, “Would you like me to facilitate?”

“If you wanted to.” Will nervously chewed his lip, voice wavering a little as he squirmed in the seat, “Because you’re a psychiatrist.”

“Of course. I’m happy to help you Will, it has been my suggestion after all.” Will nodded quickly but looked on the verge of panic. “Would you like to try it now?”

“What?” His body jerked, dropping his hands. “Now? Here?”

“I’d say in the future it would be the most successful at your house, with your pack, or at my house where you’d feel safer. Not so out in the public. But we could try a short period now, if you wanted to know what it might be like.”

He could see him weighing the options, glancing towards the door of the office, tightening his fingers in the material of his shirt. “Will you tell Jack about this?”

“No.” Will made a sound like he didn’t believe him and Hannibal moved to his feet to get the timer he kept in his desk. “I already told him that I didn’t plan to pursue this with you. I promise you Will, this is between us. To help you, not to help Jack use you.” He sat back down and set the timer on the table. “Say 10 minutes?”

“Okay.”

Hannibal set the timer and then looked at Will and they spent long moments just staring at each other before Will threw his hands out, temper flaring, clearly embarrassed, “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”

“You could start by getting on the ground.”

Will looked at the floor, opening his mouth before he closed it and a muffled whine came out. He swiped his hand across his face and stumbled to his feet, shaking his head, “This is… I don’t want to do this.”

“I’m not making you do anything you don’t want to, but I will encourage you to give it a try.” Watching the man’s flushed face he added, “There is nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“Sure.” He muttered it, scrubbing his hands over his face as he came forward again, slowly lowering himself until he was on his knees on the floor. His eyes closed, mouth half open as a huff came out, and he didn’t open them as he dropped his hands, fingers curling against the floor. He didn’t move once he was there, a long slow sigh making it out of his mouth as his head hung between his shoulders. 

Every inch of his body was tense though, was screaming that he was uncomfortable, and suddenly he shoved up so he was back on his knees. His voice had gone a little high pitch, trembling, “I feel ridiculous.”

“Back down. Close your eyes.” Will startled at the firm tone but dropped back down to his hands, eyes squeezed shut. “Good.” It was impossible to miss the way Will’s body twitched at the word and Hannibal softened his voice. “Don’t think, Will, just imagine one of your dogs, what they would do. There is no wrong way to do this.”

Will settled into the stance, deep breathes in and out and slowly his body relaxed. His movements were small, shy, but he crawled forward with no real direction and Hannibal could see the permanent crease in his brow had eased, his face calm. Will was taking to it much faster than he thought he would.

He pitched his voice like he was talking to a dog, not sure if it would be too much for the man but worth a try. “Come here.” For a moment Will tensed, though instead of going back to his knees his body tucked down like a frightened dog and Hannibal lightly patted his leg, “It’s okay, come here.”

Finally Will moved towards him, eyes still tightly closed, and belatedly he realized even before this short attempt they should have put down some ground rules. Will was so prickly about being touched, he didn’t know how he would be like this. 

When Will reached him there was an awkward frozen moment and then with a small embarrassed sound Will pressed his forehead against Hannibal’s thigh, bumping it gently. Instantly his hand came down to the curls, the unspoken request too obvious to ignore. 

He stroked slowly, carefully, petting his head as he kept a close eye on his body language in case he tensed up. Will pressed into his hand, his body leaning against the couch, and Hannibal was caught off guard by how far the man had already given in to it. 

“Good boy.” His words still soft, testing, but Will only swayed slightly, like he was drunk. Mouth slack, as he pressed harder into Hannibal.

His fingers had just trailed from Will’s head to the side of his jaw, coming up around his ear when the Timer went off. Hannibal winced at the sudden loud sound as Will cringed, scrambling backwards, eyes wide and panicked as they darted around the room. 

“Shh, it’s okay Will. You’re okay.”

Confused eyes looked at him like Will didn’t know where he was, and Hannibal slid down to the ground to be on his level, catching his eyes. “Will?”

The confusion didn’t last long, and when it cleared it was replaced by humiliation, tears welling up in his eyes as he angrily swiped at his face. His voice broke, “Fuck. I didn’t mean to Hannibal. I just… please don’t tell Jack.”

Hannibal leaned back on his haunches, “Are you okay?”

“Yea, I’m great.” He was still sniffling and Hannibal moved to his feet, reaching out a hand to Will to help him to his. He let him, even let himself be gently pressed down into a chair. 

They sat in silence while Will calmed down, collecting himself. Hannibal had seen people get lost in role play before, go into subspace before, but that was possibly the fastest he had ever seen. “What are you feeling Will?”

A quick glance at him that avoided eye contact, “Like I just crawled around on the floor and begged someone to pet me.”

He nodded, mouth quirking at the frantic tone, “And how did that feel?”

“Humiliating.”

“Will." Quiet chiding in his voice at the flippiant response, "How did it feel?”

A resigned sigh and Will’s voice was so quiet even Hannibal almost couldn’t hear him. “Good.” He shifted in the chair, uncrossing and recrossing his arms, “I didn’t expect it to feel so overwhelming. So uncomplicated. It was... nice.”

Hannibal leaned back in his chair, he had found it nice as well. “So, I take it you’d like to try again?”

Wordlessly Will nodded.

“Good, I think this will help you. Do you want to try tonight?”

“Okay.” Will was still mostly curled in on himself, his body language small, but there was no hesitation in his voice. 

“Wonderful. I can come to your house at 7, I will bring dinner and we can discuss the details.”

Another easy nod and Hannibal stood up, starling Will into doing the same before he led him towards the door. He cause his gaze, giving him a reassuring look when he was met with still teary eyes, “I will see you then.” 


	3. Chapter 3

Per usual Hannibal’s plans were disrupted by Jack Crawford.

Not even two hours after Will had left his phone went off, Will’s name flashing across the screen. Honestly he was expecting the man to have changed his mind. “Lecter.”

There was a breathy pause on the other side, like Will was trying to balance the phone while he did something else but before Hannibal could be annoyed the man spoke. “ _ Hey - sorry - It’s Will.” _

Obviously. Despite his fondness for the other man he knew there was a shortness in his voice. “Yes, Will. How can I help you?”

Another pause and then the background noise stopped and Will’s voice sounded closer, like he was turning all his attention to the phone.  _ “Hannibal - sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you. I have to cancel our… session tonight.” _ His voice lowered, trying to hide his stress but not doing a great job of it.  _ “I got called in for a case, I’m just on my way now to meet Jack. _ ”

The annoyance slid away and without meaning to his voice was pitched to be soothing, responding to the distress in Will’s voice. Not his usual response, and another time he would have to think more on that. “I understand, we can reschedule.”

_ “Great _ .” Even over the phone he could hear Will swallow, “ _ Do you think you could come?” _

Hannibal’s head tilted, “Has Uncle Jack requested my presence?”

“ _ No. _ ” There was a small nervous chuckle,  _ “I doubt he’d even like it _ .”

And of all the things Will could have said to make him want to go, that was probably one of the most effective. He would think he was being manipulated if Will wasn’t so easy to read. His interest was piqued. “Is everything okay Will?”

“ _ Yeah, I just… _ ” The words wobbled a little but there was a rustle of clothing and then Will’s voice came back, flat and lifeless. “ _ Nevermind, it’s fine _ .”

Now that he had a few moments to process the information it was odd that Jack hadn’t contacted him as well. He’d been consistent on having him there when he called Will, to add his input, to watch over the man. And with the thought came a sinking feeling, and he was certain he knew why the man hadn’t wanted him to be there.

“Of course, Will. Send me the address and I will be there.”

“ _ You really don’t have to Hannibal, I shouldn’t have asked.” _

He tutted into the phone, “Address, Will.”

“ _ Okay, I’ll send it. Thanks Hannibal.” _

After they hung up it was only a few seconds before Hannibal’s phone dinged with the address. Not too far away, and he set about getting changed into something appropriate for a crime scene. He could be there soon, but he wanted to be a little late. Wanted to see if his suspicion about Jack was true.

At the scene there were cars everywhere, some marked, more not and he was vaguely curious about the body. Not as curious as he was about Will though. He parked his car and got out, hands in his pockets as he casually walked towards the edge of the throng of agents, eyes scanning.

It was easy to find Jack, at a scene the man had to be in the center of everything, barking orders and once he found Jack it was easy enough to find Will. 

Will hadn’t mentioned anything in the last two weeks, hadn’t said anything about Jack. If the man mentioned talking to Hannibal, if he was doing anything inappropriate and usually Will was so vocal about  _ everything _ he didn’t like he assumed he would have said something. 

Even from as far away as he was he could see the grip Jack had on the back of Will’s shirt, fingers wrapped tight in the collar of it, keeping it pulled taut even though it didn’t look like Jack was even currently talking to Will. 

Will’s shoulders were hunched, eyes on the ground, flinching when Jack finally turned towards him to talk and pull him closer to the scene.

Hannibal stalked forward before he thought about it, visions of the ways he could make Jack suffer playing in his mind. He had told him to stop, that it didn’t help Will, and should have known if the man was happy with the results he wouldn’t listen. He had never cared about the damage he did to Will.

Jack noticed him first, surprise and guilt crossing his face, like a child caught red handed breaking the rules. His hand instantly dropped from Will, making the other man’s eyes come up and when they landed on Hannibal the relief was palpable. 

“Doctor Lecter, I’m surprised to see you here.”

Hannibal moved until he could push between Jack and Will, uncaring that it was more aggressive of an action that he usually let be shown. He always could blame it on the doctor patient relationship, his desire to help Will. Since it was his advice that was causing this  _ abuse _ to the other man he did feel responsible.

Jack took a step back though his face twisted angrily. Before he could snarl whatever empty threat he was going to say, Hannibal spoke up. “I believe we discussed the damage that could be caused by what you are doing Jack. I am disappointed you have such little care.”

Will was a warm presence against his back, he had expected the man to move away but he seemed to be staying firmly behind him. Though just as he was sure that he and Jack would spend the rest of the night staring off, Will moved from around him, eyes still on the ground, directing his voice at Jack. “I’m going to go look at the body, will you please make sure everyone clears out?”

As Will moved away from them Hannibal couldn’t help egging him on, “Better get to that, Jack.”

He could see a muscle twitch in Jack’s cheek, before he turned and stomped towards the crime scene, yelling at everyone to back up. He didn’t touch Will again though, giving him his space, and Hannibal nodded to himself, settling in to wait.

He watched Will’s body language change, watched the man lose himself in whoever this killer was, and wasn’t surprised to see Jack heading in his direction. 

Once he was close enough Jack met his eyes, “If you ever come on to my crime scene like that again you will never see another one. This isn’t your playground,” he turned to look at Will before back to Hannibal, “And he isn’t your concern.”

“You made him my concern when you came to me Jack. I was under the impression his well being was your concern as well.”

He kept his ire well hidden, only working to tug at Jack’s guilt. Though he had been tempted to be more aggressive, he was rather taken with the idea that Will had sought his help in dealing with Jack. His protection. It made him afford someone leniency. 

“Of course it is.”

“Then perhaps you should listen when I tell you,  _ again _ , that you are causing him further harm by what you are doing.”

Jack didn’t answer but from the look on his face he seemed contrite and Hannibal left it at that. Though he would have a talk with Will, make sure if it continued in the future he said something. 

In the distance Will was shaking himself like a wet dog, eyes unfocused for a moment before he was back to himself, looking at the body with a frown. That was Jack’s cue, moving forward into Will’s space, tilting his head as they spoke. 

Jack was professional as he listened, his law enforcement instincts kicking in and overriding any personal issues he may have. He listened intently until Will finished, looking down at the ground. He raised one hand like he was going to pat Will’s shoulder but dropped it without touching and instead gave the man a short nod. 

As good as dismissed Will fell back away from the body, still taking in the scene as the techs took over. Hannibal headed towards him, stopping several feet away so as to give the man space if he wished it, but Will’s head tilted in his direction as soon as he was near and he headed towards him. 

Before Hannibal could say anything, Will glanced up to meet his eyes for the briefest of a glance, before he looked away, “Thank you.”

He had to fight down the urge to ask him why he hadn’t said anything, he didn’t need the answer now, and not here when it was clear the scene was already taking a toll on him. Instead he tipped his head towards the body, “How did it go?”

Will glanced that way and sighed, describing to Hannibal what he had seen. All in all it seemed like a tedious kill, boring, and Hannibal was certain that with Will’s profile he would be caught in no time. When the man stopped talking, listless now, Hannibal stepped a bit closer and reached up to grasp his shoulder, like the aborted motion from Jack before he dropped his hand.

“I’m sorry I ruined dinner.”

“I hadn’t even started.” He watched the man, “If you’d like you could come to my house, it’s much closer than yours, and I can still make it.”

“Yea, okay.” Will seemed to realize how short his answer was and added, “That would be nice. I already asked a neighbor to check on the dogs, and figured I’d get a hotel room.”

“You are welcome to stay at my house if you’d like, Will. There is plenty of room.”

“I don’t want to be a bother-”

“Nonsense, Will. I insist.” 

“Okay, let me just, let me see if Jack needs anything else.” There was a short conversation with the other man and then Will was back at his side, a tired smile on his face. “I’ll follow you?”

Hannibal nodded his agreement and they both headed towards their cars. 

He opened his front door and ushered Will in with a hand at the small of his back, small tests of the kinds of touch Will would allow or wouldn’t. It would be easier if he could just ask, but could already hear the defensive answer he would get from Will. So trial and error it was. Effective if maybe a bit unethical.

Though normally he’d like to make a bit more production of dinner for them, Will was obviously exhausted. The emotional turmoil from their session earlier in addition the crime scene and the man was practically swaying on his feet. 

“Would you like to take a shower while I make dinner?”

A light blush crawled up Will’s face. “Ah…” His voice was uncomfortable and he rubbed the back of his neck, keeping his eyes averted.

Hannibal set down the cutting board he had pulled out and moved towards him, taking away the choice. “I will show you to the guest room, it has an attached bathroom.” Will’s shoulders relaxed at not having to decide, clearly spent. He eyed the duffel bag that Will was holding awkwardly at his side. “I can give you something to sleep in if you need it.”

Will lifted the bag slightly like he was showing it to Hannibal before he pulled it back, “Go bag. Always keep one in my trunk.”

“Excellent.” He led Will up the stairs. He had several guest rooms he could pick from but chose the one closest to his own room. He left Will standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, looking a bit lost. 

Back in the kitchen he turned on the oven, getting the ingredients together. Something quick and easy. A frittata should do nicely. 

Will followed his nose back to the kitchen, nearly drooling at the smell of food. He stayed at the edge of the kitchen, not wanting to intrude, sure that Hannibal knew he was there. It felt odd to be standing there in Hannibal’s house in a pair of pajama pants and a tshirt, though he had put on socks since the thought of padding around his house in bare feet was just too much.

“I hope you like frittata, Will.”

“I like pretty much everything.”

Hannibal chuckled at that and Will watched him fill two plates with food, handing one to Will as he nudged him to head in the next room. He shuffled in place until Hannibal pointed at one of the chairs, sliding into it thankfully. All he wanted to do was eat and go to sleep. He was aware at least some things needed to be discussed. Could feel Hannibal’s disapproval like a physical weight. 

“This smells amazing, Hannibal. Thank you.”

The man tilted his head in acknowledgment, a small smile tugging at his lips. Will barely had the first forkful in his mouth when Hannibal spoke, “Why didn’t you tell me about Jack?”

Will hesitated with the fork still in his mouth, finally shrugging as he ate another forkful of food, going for casual but the lines of tension through his body saying he was anything but. When Hannibal still waited he finally muttered, “I asked you to come tonight.”

“Yes, you did.”

Will was looking forlornly down at his plate like he wished he could just eat and the silence stretched through two more bites before he dropped his fork, making himself flinch as it dinged off the plate. “I didn’t know if he would or not.”

“You were sure enough to call me.”

Will rolled his shoulders, picking the fork back up, “I’d seen him since the last case and he hadn’t really… but I could feel it. He knows it works, so he was going to use it. I was sure he would tonight and I can’t work like that.”

Hannibal made a small motion to Will’s plate, trying to get him to continue eating. “And you wanted to be able to work.”

“I didn’t want to get dragged around a crime scene and yelled at. Who would.”

“If he continues Will, I would strongly suggest you cease assisting him.” There was a non committal nod from the other man, they both knew that wouldn’t happen. He finally picked up his own fork. “It has been a long day. We can eat and then get some sleep.”

Another nod but Will poked at his food, glancing up to watch Hannibal. Hannibal met his eyes and held them, waiting. There was a frustrated sound from Will and he looked back down to the table. “Before we got to sleep. I still wanted to - can we still talk about the other thing?”

“If you are up to it.” He made sure his voice was firm, “ _ After _ you eat.”

After dinner saw them sitting in his study. Will clutched a whiskey in his hands though Hannibal hadn’t seen him actually drink any of it yet, and he swirled his wine, waiting for the other man to settle. 

When he finally stopped fidgeting and looked up, taking a generous gulp of the whiskey, Hannibal spoke. “So, are you still interested? Or has Jack ruined the idea for you?”

“I’m still interested.” Will’s face was bright red, hands clenching and unclenching from around the glass, “I don’t know why though, this is humiliating.”

“I assure you it is perfectly normal, Will. And it is just us.” 

Will pulled his glasses off and rubbed at his face before he replaced them with a sigh. “So what do we have to discuss?”

“What your limits are. What you want out of it.” He tilted his head wondering how much would be too much for Will when he was already so on edge, “A safe word, just in case you are overwhelmed and need to stop.”

“Jesus, Hannibal. That sure sounds like the not used for therapy part of it..”

“They do share some similarities.” He tilted his head, trying to think of how to ease the man. “Tell me one thing that you do not want to do, that you do not want to happen.”

“When I’m a dog.” The sarcasm was heavy in the words and Hannibal chose to ignore it as he nodded. Will chewed his lip, downing another third of the whiskey, before he looked like he was giving it real thought. When he finally came to an answer he seemed unsure, “I don’t want to do anything that hurts. Like… I don’t know. If I do something wrong.”

“You must think me a terrible pet owner.” The blush increased and he acknowledged that now was not the time to ruffle the other man. “Of course Will. Is there anything else?”

“Can I think about it?”

“Of course, I’d suggest you make a list of things you would want to happen or would not. I can’t promise everything you want is feasible, but I will do what I can. Perhaps it will be easier for you to write them down than say them face to face. We can decide a time to meet tomorrow over breakfast.”

“Thank you.” It came out small and nervous, but genuine. 

The silence stretched between them and Hannibal could see the conflict on Will’s face, could see the man thinking about asking if they could do it again now, could see the man craving the peace he got from it. It felt wrong though, when the man was so exhausted. Vulnerable. 

So before Will could work up the nerve to ask he stood, holding out a hand in invitation to help the other up. “It has been a long day, I think perhaps you need some sleep.”

Disappointment skittered across Will’s face, but again, that relief at it being decided for him. Hannibal brought him back to his room. They said their good nights but before he left he reached up one hand, cupping the side of Will’s cheek and the man tilted his face immediately, pressing Hannibal’s hand into his hair and he kept it there for a few moments, gently stroking his fingers through his hair as he murmured, “You did good today Will. You deserve some rest.”

Even the small touch was enough to ease some of the stress from Will’s face and when Hannibal pulled away he looked sleepy and dazed. Will mumbled a good night and then headed into the room. 

Hannibal didn’t linger, just watched long enough to see the man climb into bed, yawning, before he moved to his own room. 

Despite Jack’s interruption it had all gone better than he thought it would. He climbed into bed and quickly fell asleep, still feeling Will’s curls under his hand.


	4. Chapter 4

Always an early riser and overly aware of his surroundings Hannibal heard Will sneak out of the house just after sunrise. Normally he would take issue with it, it was fairly rude to leave like that, but he knew the man was overwhelmed. He would let him have his space to get himself together.

He did leave his bedroom to glance in the guest room, mouth quirking when it was tidied up much more than he was sure the other man usually kept a room, and he could appreciate the effort. Shortly after the sound of Will’s car faded his phone dinged with a text from the man himself.

‘ _ Thank you for dinner, I’m sorry to leave so suddenly this morning. I left a letter on the counter downstairs.’ _

Hannibal hummed as he headed in that direction, mildly forlorn that he hadn’t been able to make Will breakfast before he left. The man could use a few good meals. There was a piece of paper on the counter with a few scribbled notes. With one finger on a corner of it he turned it to look at it, not surprised when he saw two short lists. 

The one on the left said NOs at the top and under it was what he had already told Hannibal. That he didn’t want to be hurt, that he didn’t want to be hit. He noted it said nothing about not being disciplined in general and it was hard to tell if that was intentional or not. He had also listed that he didn’t want anyone to know, especially Jack, but that was already a given. He was sure there were other limits Will had, though it seemed they would have to probably find them the hard way. He’d try to prod Will into a more open conversation but it was unlikely to happen. Again, trial and errors seemed to be the only recourse with Will. 

The other side said OK and even that was telling. It implied more things that he would be okay with instead of a YES of things that he wanted, and the list on this side was just as short. It said he liked being petted, liked praise when he did well. Both of those things he could have already told him. There was a third, it looked as if he had started writing something a few times and scribbled it out. He was rather sure one of the scribbled out words were ‘fetch’ but couldn’t swear by it. Finally the man had settled on ‘play - tug of war,etc’ and he could feel the corner of his mouth turn up. Under that was one more short word but it had been scribbled out so much he couldn’t even make out a single letter. He had a feeling that one may be important. 

He was proud of Will for vocalizing, or writing as it were, something that he was sure had been hard for him. It was probably the simple act of writing it down that had driven him out of the house so early. He’d text back Will in awhile and try to set up their next session, and perhaps spend the time in between picking up some supplies from the pet store. It couldn’t hurt to be prepared. 

Their schedules clashed, and the earliest they were able to meet for a session would be the following weekend. The texts had been short and Hannibal hadn’t attempted to get an elaboration on the list. During the week they had their normal meeting, and though he could see Will wanted to ask, wanted to bring it up, he intentionally avoided it. 

It was nearly the end of the session when Will fell silent, keeping his eyes on Hannibal’s shoulder. He waited and as he expected the man couldn’t help himself any longer. “I left a list.”

“I found it.” He let the silence fill the space, giving Will time, but when nothing happened he continued. “A rather limited list, I must say. Have you given it additional thought?”

He started to nod, but then shook his head, bringing a hand up to his face like he was hiding. “I don’t know. How am I supposed to know what I want?”

“We can figure it out as we go, Will. It isn’t something you need to decide right now.” Will’s eyes darted up to him and he gave him the most reassuring smile he could, “Do you have a concern you’d like to discuss?”

He twisted in his seat, “Jack hasn’t done anything over the line that last week. I think whatever you said to him took.”

By now Will should know that he wouldn’t let him deflect like that. “That is wonderful, Will. I’m glad he has heeded my advice. However, that isn’t what I asked about.”

Will sighed and shoved to his feet, retreating across the office to look at the books, giving him something to distract himself. His hand briefly touched the ladder but didn’t go up it, so he wasn’t too frantic. “I don’t have any concerns.” He picked up a book and set it back down, his voice quieter, “I’m looking forward to it.” His face heated as he said it.

Ah. “It’s good that you are looking forward to something that is meant to take care of your mental state.”

There was a huff of laughter from Will, shoulders rolling, “Right.” 

“Would you like to talk about what was at the bottom of the list that you crossed off?” Will’s answer was a nervous twitch and a shake of the head. He didn’t push.

Hannibal let him wander around for a few more minutes before he stood up. “I think our time is just about up, Will.”

He startled like he was surprised, eyes darting towards the clock, and nodded. He let himself be led to the door, and left after goodbyes.

Will kept his eyes on the ground as he headed towards his car, unable to deny that he was looking forward to their next session. If that is what they were going to call it, he wasn’t sure it was exactly right. It still made his face flush to think about, made him want to back out, but more than that he  _ wanted _ it. The few minutes in Dr. Lector’s office when he’d been on the ground, in that moment he had felt so  _ free _ . And it felt shameful and selfish, but he needed that again.

His mind did briefly filter across what he had written, as soon as he had seen the word he had felt the rightness of it in his gut, but embarrassment had made him scribble it out. He sat in his car for a few moments before he turned the key, letting out a long sigh. 

Hannibal packed food for them both, hoping he could convince Will to eat a bit. He was usually successful if he could just set the food down in front of the man, he would eat on autopilot. The plan was the same as before, he would go to Will’s house, they would have dinner, and then set a timer for a session. 

He pulled up to the house, and could see several lights on, and would swear he could feel Will’s tension already. He shut the door louder than he usualy would and heard Will’s dogs stir in the house, he wanted to give him time to expect the knock. Hopefully Will wasn’t so anxious that he was lost in his head.

A shadow moved behind one of the windows, towards the door, and Hannibal gathered his bag before heading up. He had barely knocked when the door yanked open. Will stood there, hair a mess like he had been tugging at it, face flushed red, and as soon as he saw him something in his hands was shoved at Hannibal.

Automatically he grabbed it, nearly losing the hold on his bag, eyes on the collar that had been shoved into his hands for long seconds before he looked up at Will. 

The man was already talking, too fast, “I know we aren’t, I know not right away but I thought if I had to wait I’d lose my nerve. So there. That. It was the end of the list.” As soon as the words rushed out Will’s face darkened further, his eyes widening and then he was reaching for it. “Nevermind.”

Hannibal stepped back, keeping it out of the man’s reach, Will stumbling when his hands met empty air. He shoved the collar in the pocket of his pants, Will’s eyes watching it with something like horror, and he stepped closer to try to get his attention. “Will.”

“I changed my mind. I didn’t mean it.”

“ _ Will _ .” The tone made him wince, shoulders hunching, but it did make him settle back. The only sound was Will’s harsh breathing, anxious pants, and Hannibal waited for him to calm down before he spoke again. “May I come in?”

“Oh, yeah, I’m sorry.” He scrambled backwards, giving him room to move into his house, and Hannibal headed for the kitchen without waiting for Will. Will trailed after him, eyes on Hannibal’s pocket, and muttered out, “I didn’t mean the-”

“After dinner, Will. Right now I’d like us to sit down and have a nice meal.”

“But-”

He set down his bag and turned to Will, reaching up to touch the side of his face, trying to ground him and bring his attention back. “There is no judgement here, Will. Please, sit down and we will eat.”

Will took a deep breath, letting it out in a huff, but nodded. Hannibal pushed him gently toward a chair as he pulled out the food, keeping himself turned away from Will and busy until he could sense him finally pull his eyes away from Hannibal’s pocket and relax.

They ate in a companionable silence, chatting about unimportant things. Normally idle small talk wasn’t either of their preference, but Hannibal knew the stream of chatter was simply Will’s way of keeping himself calm.

More than once he directed the man’s attention back to his plate, gently encouraging him to eat more, only satisfied when the plate had been emptied. 

Once the dishes were cleared they sat at the table, Will’s eyes on his lap where his hands twisted in his shirt, unease slipping into the silence between them. 

Hannibal leaned back to give him as much space as possible, his voice gentle. “Shall we head into the other room?”

“Sure.” Will stumbled as he stood, face already flushed, and led the way into the living room. Or Bedroom he supposed. Hannibal closed his eyes for a moment, how did the man live like this. He retrieved his bag and took a seat on the couch, setting it down next to him as he pulled out a timer and set it on the small table next to him.

There was no opposite chair for Will to sit in so he stood awkwardly and Hannibal tilted his head, “Did you decide on a safeword?”

“Right to it, huh?”

“Would you prefer we talked more?” Will shook his head. “Alright then, did you decide on a safeword?”

Will rolled his eyes and scuffed his foot as he muttered, “Whiskey.”

“Very good, Will.” He let his voice drop to just a murmur, and watched Will’s shoulders relax at the praise. He tapped the timer. “A half hour. Does that sound good?”

He rubbed his hands down his pants and looked unsure, and Hannibal wasn’t sure if he thought it was too long or too short but the man nodded. He set the timer but didn’t start it yet and shifted his feet so there was more room on the ground in front of him. “Come kneel here for me.”

Will took a step forward and then stopped, face twisting as he eyed Hannibal, and it was a fairly suggestive position. It took him long seconds to work through it before he moved forward, sinking to the floor in front of Hannibal. In his office it had been less than five minutes before he was curled up at the man’s feet, he was sure he would end up there anyways.

Once he settled part of him knew what was next, but he still flinched when Hannibal pulled the collar out of his pocket. He held it carefully in his hands and Will clenched his jaw to keep words from spilling out. Whether they were going to tell the man that he didn’t want it or beg him to put it on him he wasn’t sure. 

“I know you have trouble verbalizing what you want, Will. I’m going to put this on you, you don’t have to tell me that you want it on. If you don’t you can use your safeword and I won’t, understand?” 

Will shifted and tilted his chin up a touch, leaning forward when Hannibal reached down to slip it around his neck. It was tightened until it was snug, Hannibal’s fingers under it testing how tight it was and a whimper slid out of his throat. He desperately wanted Hannibal to start the damn timer so he could just forget himself for a little while. 

“Alright, that’s good Will. Not too tight? Good. I’m going to start the timer now.”

There was a quiet ding as it started and Will dropped his hands down so he was on all fours and let his head hang, closing his eyes as he tried to relax. It felt even better here in his house, felt more private and after a deep breath he looked up at Hannibal.

Hannibal ran a hand over his curls, dragging nails lightly against the back of his neck, and then gave him a gentle push away. While he wasn’t opposed to sitting here the whole half hour petting Will, he wanted him to explore what he felt. It wasn’t the headspace he had been in the office, it was simply a collared Will on the floor looking at him. “Go, play with the other dogs.”

Will looked hesitant so Hannibal stood, grabbing the collar and tugging it to pull Will into the middle of the room. As he crawled he could see the tension easing, the line of his body sinking into the movements and he let go. Will’s dogs hovered around the edge of the room, seemingly suspicious and he patted his leg to get them to come forward.

Next to him Will moved as well at the sound, pressing his shoulder against his leg and he dropped a hand to pet at his head automatically. One dog finally came forward and moved towards his owner, sniffing.

When the dog reached him Will sunk down nearly to the ground, a small whine slipping out of his throat and Hannibal raised an eyebrow. When the dog wagged its tail, bouncing around, Will slowly moved so he wasn’t cowering, and butted heads with the dog. 

Interesting. It was obvious that more than the puppy play clearly Will felt submissive, subconsciously took on that role. Though he moved around the room, approaching each piece of furniture like it was the first time he’d seen it, he shied away from his dogs when they approached him. Like a nervous new dog and Hannibal couldn’t help the grin as he made his way back to the couch to sit down, content to merely observe Will navigate the room. Making mental notes of what he would talk about with him after. He wasn’t sure how he would approach it, but he was vaguely concerned about how quickly Will fell into the headspace of role play, and maybe it had something to do with his empathy disorder. It was intruiging how susceptible he was.

Claws clicking on the floor got his attention as one of the dogs whined in front of Will, dropping a toy, nudging at him to get him to play. Hannibal couldn’t help his reaction and reached for his bag. He had picked up toys today, because he was certain the man wouldn’t mind - out of head space or not - playing with the ones his dogs already had but that was just unsanitary.

He pitched his voice low and patted his thigh, “Will, come here.”

Will turned to look at him before he looked down at the toy and whined, lowering his head a touch and Hannibal let his voice carry more of a command. “Leave it. Come.” Mostly to keep the man from touching the dirty rope toy on the floor, but a little to see how he reacted to the authority.

He moved towards Hannibal immediately and when he reached him his eyes were wide, showing too much white, even as he crouched down in front of his feet. Hannibal put his hand down near him, to calm him, and wasn’t expecting Will to  _ lick _ him. He didn’t react to the strokes of tongue across his palm, not wanting to startle him. Once it stopped he could see something cross Will’s face, the real world seeping back in again as his face started to turn red so he grabbed Will’s collar and pulled him close so he could pet his head. Letting him settle back into the headspace.

Next to them one of Will’s dogs leaned forward, nudging at his free hand and he pointed his finger at him before they could lick his hand too, “Don’t get any ideas.” 

He pulled out the toy from the bag, and Will’s eyes found it immediately, rocking back to his hands and knees, dropping his chest towards the ground, and it took Hannibal a moment to recongize the body language, a dog play bow, an unmistakable request to play. And despite all his good intentions he couldn’t help at least one small inappropriate thought at watching Will on the ground before him, ass up in the air. He pushed that thought away, that wasn’t what this was about. “You want to play?”

He was going to toss the toy but he realized one of the other dogs would get it first, sure that with how he was acting Will would let them and he patted Will’s head. “Stay.”

He moved to the edge of the room and called the other dogs, watching them begrudgingly follow the command as they shuffled into the other room, and he pulled the half door shut to keep them in there. He had to give Will credit, he had always assumed he lived in a wild animal kingdom at his house but his dogs seemed well trained. Well behaved.

His attention turned back to Will and he closed the distance, trailing a hand through his curls, and tossed the toy a few feet away, murmurring, “Fetch.”

Will didn’t move though, pressing into the hand in his hair, moving to lean against his legs, begging to be touched more. His wrist watched silently vibrated, the end of the 30 minutes, he had thought something quieter would be better not to startle the other man like it had in his office. 

Still he was sure that Will felt it, knew what it meant and he could feel Will’s full weight sag against his legs, turning to press his face against the material, and he stayed that way for several minutes until Hannibal could feel a tremor through him, getting worse until Hannibal could feel his whole body shaking. 

“Will?”

The shaking turned into desperate ragged breaths, and then sobs. He started to pull away, wanting to see Will’s face, but the man pressed tighter against him, whimpering through the sobs and Hannibal settled his hand back over the curls, holding him there. 

From the kitchen Will’s dogs whined, responding to his sobs and with no sign of him being able to calm himself down he carefully slid to the floor. He was barely sitting when Will shifted so he was mostly in his lap, face shifting to press just below Hannibal’s throat against his chest. It was easier in this position to wrap arms around him and hold him closer. He spoke low to him, soft encouraging words in lithuanian, sure that Will wouldn’t hear the actual words anyways. 

It was a long while they sat on the floor until Will’s breathing slowed down, until the tears slowed, and when he tried to pull back he loosened his arms and let him. Will was looking at him but his eyes were unfocused, a frown on his face as he looked down at the wet patch on Hannibal’s shirt from his crying. He reached up to touch it, eyebrows pulled together in confusion, and it was like watching storm clouds clear until his eyes were lucid.

“Oh god.” He scrambled backwards so he wasn’t in Hannibal’s lap, landing with a thud on the floor, and looked up at him. “I don’t know why I did that, I’m so sorry.” Even now he was sniffling, and he scrubbed his arm across his face, flushed red.

Once he was sure it wouldn’t startle him Hannibal pushed to his feet, going to retrieve the toy and drop it back in his bag, and he didn’t miss the way that Will’s eyes followed it. Not embarrassed, not confused, no, Will looked disappointed. He sat down on the couch and tried to catch his eyes, “My professional opinion? I think acting like this allows you to express emotions and feelings that you normally work very hard to keep walled off. It is a good thing.”

Will took time to get his bearings. Sitting on the floor in the middle of his living room, face red hot and covered in tears, and he was almost able to settle his thoughts until he swallowed hard and could feel the collar around his neck. 

What Hannibal must think of him. He tried to get it off, fingers clumsy and tears blurring his vision again, and Hannibal’s soft voice cut through the panic.

“Come here Will, let me help you.”

He could stand up but it was only a few steps so he crawled to Hannibal, trying to stifle his tears as the man reached up and unhooked it with deft fingers, setting it down on the couch next to him. Humiliation coiled tight in his stomach, right up until Hannibal had arrived he had convinced himself he wouldn’t bring the collar out but the he had wanted it so bad. It was just a leftover collar from a stray that had been returned home, but something felt safe about it, about having it around his neck.

Hannibal watched Will stare at the collar and cleared his throat to get his attention. He wanted to ease how uncomfortable he was, and he had an idea of something that may help. “I think a collar is a fairly normal urge in these circumstances, Will.”

“Oh?” It came out defensive, snarky, but he kept Hannibal’s eyes and waited.

He tilted his head down in a nod, “I actually thought you might want one.” Hannibal pulled his bag closer to him and rummaged in it and Will found himself sitting up on his knees, trying to see what else was in the bag, but it was tilted in a way that he couldn’t see.

After a few moments Hannibal pulled out a collar, much nicer than the one he had found in the closet. It was leather, looked soft, and the fact that it had been bought for  _ him _ , was  _ his  _ collar brought with it a feeling he couldn’t quite put a finger on. He reached out to almost touch it but dropped his hand and looked back up, “For me?”

“We can use it our next session if you’d like.” He tucked it back away in the bag.

He wanted to ask when that would be, and knew no matter what the answer was it wouldn’t be soon enough. Abruptly he was aware they weren’t doing the role play anymore but he was still on the ground at Hannibal’s feet and he scrambled up, Hannibal catching him when he swayed. He muttered out, “You probably have to get going.”

Will felt weak, like he had run a marathon, like everything was soft around the edges, and when Hannibal took ahold of his arm and settled him back on the couch he let him. “I thought I might stay a little while and make sure you are settled.”

“I can’t talk about it yet.” He was sure that was what Hannibal wanted, to discuss it, but he was still trying to remember how to think and he wasn’t ready. It had left him feeling light, relaxed, and he didn’t want to come down from that yet.

“Of course not, not if you aren’t ready. Just want to make sure you are okay. I’ll make some tea.” Will didn’t normal huddle but he realized he was curled up in the corner of the couch and with shaking hands grabbed the blanket on the back, bringing it to his chest.

He wondered if he even had tea in his house but Hannibal took his bag with him and he wouldn’t be surprised if he had brought some.

He kept an eye on Will, letting his dogs back in the room to comfort him as he made tea. There still appeared to be a fine tremor in his arms and legs, his eyes still slightly unfocused, and he made a note that they would have to talk about this reaction, a sub drop, at future sessions so he would know what to expect. So Hannibal had an idea of what he could do to help him. He’d like to direct him to a warm bath and then tuck him into bed, but for now he could make him tea.

The small trill of possessiveness that he felt when defending Will from Jack made itself known as he watched the smaller man curl in, making himself impossibly smaller. He was so vulnerable, and Hannibal had discovered the exact buttons to push to get him there. 

When the tea was done he brought it in, sitting close to Will on the couch, watching to see any physical reaction. Will uncurled slightly, like he felt more comfortable with Hannibal near, and took the tea even though Hannibal was sure he didn’t like it. He didn’t complain, just sipped at it while Hannibal pet the dogs around them, staying quiet so Will could gather his thoughts.

Eventually the tea was gone and Will was struggling to keep his eyes open, surely suffering from the adrenalin of emotional turmoil and Hannibal moved to his feet. “You should get some sleep Will.” The man nodded but curled tighter into the corner of the couch, and Hannibal didn’t push. He gathered his things and headed towards the door, giving Will a smile before he headed out to his car. 

Eventually Will pulled himself to his bed and dropped onto it heavily like his limbs didn’t quite work. His stripped off his clothes until he was just in his boxers and wiggled under the covers and fell asleep as soon as his eyes closed. There were no nightmares.


	5. Chapter 5

It took a half a day and a one visit from Jack to shake the calm that Will had managed to find.

It started when he woke up. He had been relaxed, a rare full night sleep, and had found a smile on his lips when he rolled out of bed. Until he had headed towards the kitchen and his eyes had landed on the collar sitting so innocently on the couch. 

His face heated, his stomach twisted and he had grabbed it and threw it towards the corner of the room, rubbing his hands over his face. He had really done that, hadn’t he? Had knelt in his living room and had Hannibal,  _ Hannibal _ , slip a collar around his neck. He must have completely lost his mind. 

He growled to himself, one hand slipping down to palm himself over his boxers for just a moment, because yeah, he had _ knelt there while Hannibal collared him _ , but he ignored it, he was used to dealing with those confusing feelings for the other man. It wasn’t what had him wishing the floor would open up and swallow him.

When he opened his eyes his dogs were looking at him and inexplicably another wave of humiliation rolled through him, like his dogs were judging him. He shook his head as he walked towards the door to let them out, “Just go out and pee and don’t judge me.”

He leaned his head against the door jamb and muttered, “Thanks for sharing your toys though.” It made slightly hysterical laughter bubble up from his chest. He was never going to be able to face Hannibal again. 

He glanced towards the couch and closed his eyes, and thought about Hannibal throwing that damned toy and how badly he’d wanted to feel it between his teeth, to carry it back, to… holy fuck he had  _ licked _ him. The laughter was turning into something closer to tears and he forced himself to take deep breaths to calm himself down.

Nothing he had looked up had prepared him, not really. It all had seemed to get out of hand so quickly, one moment he was there and a little embarrassed and then it felt like he was in a haze. And it felt good, easy and happy and he wanted more of it. This couldn’t be a normal way to think, surely people didn’t need to lick their therapists to feel at ease. 

“Like you’re not weird enough, Graham.” He let the dogs back in, distracting himself with getting them food and making coffee. Drink in hand he sat on the couch, and chewed on his lip as he thought about the night before. 

There was a low thrum of humiliation, but also want. No, need. He couldn’t bear to think about doing it again, but panic gripped him at the thought of putting an end to it. Though he knew that Hannibal was going to make him talk about it and he shuddered. He barely remembered the man leaving, it had been a blur once he had been on the ground, only glimpses of warmth and safety. 

With a sigh he pushed off the couch to get ready, he was going to have to move if he didn’t want to be late for his first class. He usually didn’t have to worry about setting an alarm, he usually barely slept. He set his coffee mug in the sink and noticed a note on his fridge. 

‘ _ Leftovers are in your fridge. Eat.’ _

It was in flowing perfect script even though it had been written on the back of an envelope and Will held it for long seconds before he put it back and opened the fridge. Two containers were tucked inside among his endless bottles of condiments, a note on one said ‘ _ lunch’ _ and the other said ‘ _ dinner _ ’ and he couldn’t help flushing, he wasn’t a child that needed to be taken care of. Or given the circumstances before Hannibal left, he wasn’t a  _ pet _ that needed to be fed.

Except he kind of did.

He resolved not to take the food, to ignore it, but besides that it was probably a crime to let what he was sure was incredible food go to waste, it was kind of nice to be taken care of. Like the first time Hannibal had brought him breakfast in his hotel room. 

So after he showered and dressed and gathered his things for the day he stopped to grab the container of food and slipped it into his bag. He reasoned that he had a long day of classes, and this would allow him to eat at his desk instead of going to the cafeteria. 

His first class went quickly and he looked forward to getting some paperwork done before lunch. The last of his students had cleared out and he was turned towards his desk when he heard footsteps. They were loud, obvious, and he couldn’t help it as his shoulders hunched.

When the steps got close he finally turned around, leaning against his desk, though he kept his eyes on the ground. “Jack.”

“Morning, Will.”

He grunted his response to that, eyes finally catching the paper coffee cup that Jack was holding out to him. Like he could be bribed. He wanted to cross his arms but gave under Jack’s intense look and reached out to take the cup. Muttering a ‘thank you’ that he didn’t mean, not when he felt like he was forced.

Jack moved closer once he took it, into his personal space, and he startled when he bumped into his desk, nowhere to go. “A little space, Jack?”

He put his hands up, an easy grin on his face as he took a half step backwards. Not nearly enough space. “I was hoping we could chat.”

“Then set up a meeting Jack, I have papers to grade.”

“Well, I wanted it to be just me and you, yeah?”

He set the coffee down without taking a sip, following through on crossing his arms, now that he had proof that Jack was being intentional. That he was avoiding Will calling in Hannibal, having him to back him up, and why would he need to do that unless he planned to bully him. “What?”

Jack’s shoulders tensed at the tone, but Will could see him forcing it down. Trying to play nice. “The last time we talked you were upset, Will. I need you to talk to me, I can’t help you if I don’t know what is wrong.”

He shook his head, “You know what was wrong, Jack.” He bit the words out, stomach twisting with frustration. With anger. He didn’t want to talk about it, didn’t even want an apology, he really just wanted to be left alone.

A hand lifted to rest on Will’s shoulder and he turned partially away, wincing, but that didn’t deter Jack. It never did. “I was just trying to help ground you at scenes, Will. It was helping.” Before he could argue that Jack’s hand tightened, “Come on, let me get you lunch and we can talk about it.”

Carefully he pulled away, slipping around the other side of his desk, and shook his head. “It’s fine Jack, besides, I brought lunch, going to grade papers.”

The smile slid off Jack's face as he watched him. “ _ You _ packed lunch?” Despite everything Will could find it in himself to be offended at the incredulous tone. 

He nodded though, pressing his lips together, as he pulled the container out of his bag as proof. He shouldn’t have to prove anything and it grated on him, but he just wanted Jack to  _ leave _ . Maybe instead of spending his time crawling around the floor he should spend time with Hannibal learning how to stand up to Jack. He glanced up at Jack and expected him to be watching him but the man was looking down at the food container, eyes on the note. That clearly wasn’t Will’s hand writing. 

Jack’s eyes slowly came up to his, “I never did ask how Hannibal ended up at that crime scene. Did you call him?”

“I… yes.” His mouth felt too dry, could see the anger on Jack’s face and he ducked his head more, “I had to cancel a session with him and mentioned it. He was curious. I figured you had already asked him to go anyways.” It was a reasonable answer.

The silence was uncomfortable and Will was about to break, to agree to go to lunch when Jack spoke up, “Okay, Will. As long as we are okay, and there isn’t anything you need from me.” He shook his head and Jack nodded, tapping fingers on the lid of the food container before giving him one more forced smile and leaving the classroom. Will dropped into his chair and let out a huff of air. The tension was back in his shoulders and his thoughts were chaotic and all he wanted was to be back home with his dogs. Preferably with a collar around his neck.

As an afterthought he pulled out his phone, scrolling through it until he pulled up Hannibal’s name. 

“ _ Thanks for the food. You didn’t have to do that.”  _ He hesitated because he didn’t want to ask for help, but part of him needed to let Hannibal know that Jack was overstepping. “ _ Saved me from a lunch ambush by Jack _ .” It felt a bit like tattling but it wasn’t like Jack gave him many options.

It wasn’t giving too much away, it wasn’t asking for help, it was just a statement. A fact of what happened. His phone was still in his hand when it dinged. 

“ _ You are welcome, Will.” _

It wasn’t much, but just the responding text was enough to ease his shoulders enough that he wouldn’t give himself a headache. He rubbed the back of his neck and then settled into his chair, pulling the papers close to him, glancing once at the food container. It was nice. 

Hannibal’s first instinct was to call Jack, to confront him, but he resisted. That wasn’t what Will wanted, or what he needed. The man was strong willed and capable, he just had to learn how to handle Jack on his own. As much as Hannibal enjoyed being his crutch, having Will rely on him, he found himself wanting Will to be able to rely on himself a bit more. 

He’d give him a few days before he pushed, he wanted to talk to Will about their time together, how he felt. And he wanted to reassure him, and too much time left to his own means the man would surely work himself up. He was glad that he had taken the food, at least he was sure that one day during the week the man would have a decent meal. 

If anything they had a session planned for Thursday, though he was sure that he would hear from him before that.

Monday night Will got home, quietly heated up the food Hannibal had left him, and sat at his table eating it while he stared at his phone. The food was good, better than anything he managed, and with a full stomach he settled onto the couch with the dogs. He was tired, he actually wanted to  _ sleep _ , and that was a novelty.

Maybe just the one time… two times… was enough for the calm to be permanent and he didn’t have to ever repeat the experience. He poured two fingers of whiskey and found it gone quicker than usual. He glanced at his phone, chewed his lip and poured another two fingers.

By the time Will picked up the phone to text him his vision was a little blurry, and he fumbled with the buttons. 

“ _ Hey Hannibal. I thought maybe we should get together to talk. When you’re not busy.”  _ Will sent it and immediately winced and wrote again, “ _ It can wait until Thursday, I’m sorry to bother you.” _

He wrapped his hand around the bottle of whiskey, about to pour more when his phone dinged.

“ _ No bother, Will. Are you available tomorrow?” _

The immediate response was reassuring and they texted back and forth a few times to set up a time, Hannibal had an opening around the middle of the day and it was between Will’s classes so he agreed to meet at his office. He was nervous, not sure if he was planning to end it or plan the next time they could meet, but either way he knew Hannibal was going to make him talk about it. 

He rubbed a hand over his face and sighed. He considered the whiskey, but didn't need to add a hangover to his problems. He shoved to his feet to head towards the bed, eyes scanning over the collar where it still laid in the corner, and a small flush moved up his face but it settled in his stomach, making him feel warm and calm as he got under the covers. Sleep didn’t come easy, not like it had the night before, but he finally slipped under.

Through his morning classes Will kept a nervous eye on the door, sure that Jack was going to appear and force another chat, but it was just him and his students. He lectured without paying much attention to what he was doing, on autopilot, and instead practiced what he was going to say to Hannibal. 

His nerves were frayed by time he reached his office and he sat in his car with his hands curled around the steering wheel hard enough to turn his fingers white. He could feel his own panicked breathing and he was sweating, and with a disgusted snort at himself he pushed out of the car. He was going to visit a friend, not face a monster. He knew he was overreacting but he still couldn’t manage to get it under control and he rubbed his hands roughly over his face, pulling them through his hair, belatedly realizing what a mess he must look like. 

Too late to worry about it now.

The waiting room was familiar and he rolled his shoulders, and after a glance at his watch to make sure he was on time, he knocked on the door. It pulled open instantly like Hannibal had been waiting for him and he was ushered in. 

“Please Will, come in. I was about to eat, are you hungry?”

He snorted, intentionally avoiding Hannibal’s eyes, and shrugged. “I’m good.”

“There is plenty, Will.”

He could feel Hannibal’s eyes narrow as they moved towards the small table where there was food placed out. Already two places, like he knew that Will would give, and he would, wouldn’t he? “I don’t need to be fed, Hannibal.” The words were colder than he meant them to be, defensive, and he crossed his arms tightly over his chest.

“Will?”

The question in the word made his spine straighten and he clenched his jaw, glancing up quickly for a moment before he dropped his eyes again. “I make food for my dogs, too.”

“Ah.” A short clip of a sound, barely there, as Hannibal took his own seat. Will finally sat as well, feeling awkward just standing there. Once he was settled, hands twisting in his lap, Hannibal pushed a plate towards him. “I see you have some concerns. Eat and we can talk.”

Grudgingly he glanced at the food, his stomach growling, and thought about refusing. He was frustrated, unsteady, but he wasn’t that difficult. At least not today. He reached for the fork. Even though Hannibal barely responded Will could still catch the twitch of his lips, pleased, and he shook his head in an attempt to convince himself that getting that reaction didn’t ease his tension.

The first few minutes of eating were in silence, and the food helped settle him a little, and he set down his fork before he licked his lips, biting uncertainty on his bottom lip before he looked up and made the effort to meet Hannibal’s eyes. “Thank you for lunch.” His throat clicked, a nervous sound, as his eyes dropped back to his plate. “I’m confused.” Hannibal stayed quiet, letting him work through his thoughts. He briefly glanced up at the second level, deciding if he wanted the space but let out a sigh as he picked his fork back up. No, he wanted to eat. 

“We are friends, yes?” Will tilted his head in answer to the question, a small nod, and Hannibal gave him a tight smile. “I know that you are feeling self conscious, and possibly overwhelmed. Being relaxed, and allowing yourself to be so around others, is not something that you experience often. It is okay to be upset about it.”

“I’m not upset, I’m…” He huffed out a breath, “I’m embarrassed. I’m… indignant. I’m anxious that I won’t be able to find that calm place again.” His voice went a little higher pitched, unable to help the panic, “I’m asking too much of you, I’m sure this is what you planned to spend time on. Dinner parties, the opera and throwing a god damn squeak toy for a mess of a person.”

Despite that he was trying to calm him, to soothe his frustration, Hannibal couldn’t help the warm tone, not mocking but a little bit of humor. “Still disappointed that you didn’t get the toy, are you?”

Will’s whole body stiffened, and furious blue eyes found him before the man was shoving to his feet and stalking towards the door. He tilted his head, affection in his voice, “Will.” It stopped the man but he didn’t turn back to him, just froze in place. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have teased. I want you to be comfortable with taking what you need. Come back and eat.” When he didn’t move after long seconds he said his name again, voice firm. “Will.”

Will’s shoulders sagged with a sigh before he turned back, edging towards the table like he was nervous of what would happen. Nothing did and he settled back into his spot, feeling even more ridiculous now. Couldn’t help whimper out, “What are you getting out of this?”

“I like helping you. I like seeing you relaxed and at ease, Will.” Hannibal tilted his head, his voice soft, “To be honest Will, I enjoy getting to take care of you. To make sure you have eaten, that you are calm.”

“What? Why?” He didn’t meet his eyes but raised them enough that he could see Hannibal’s face. He wasn’t used to hearing such genuine fondness, and he licked his lips as he tried to process it. 

“You needn’t sound so surprised, Will. I’m sure it is obvious that I care about you.”

He ran one hand through his hair, tugging at the curls as he thought and mumbled, “Maybe we shouldn’t do it again. It’s… I don’t know. It doesn’t seem right.”

“Does it feel right?” He nodded instead of words, because he couldn’t get them out. Couldn’t make his mouth say them. “Then I would like to discuss a few things and we can go from there, how does that sound?”

“Like something I don’t want to do.”

Hannibal nodded, “All the same. If you do want to continue, I feel we need to discuss both your head space during it and your drop afterwards, as I did have some concerns.”

Will swallowed, losing his appetite for the food in front of him. It was impossible not to think about him clinging to Hannibal and  _ sobbing _ like a small child. His face felt impossible hot and he finally gave into the impulse to move, on his feet and over to the side of the room, obviously not leaving but unable to sit still. To sit still and  _ talk _ about it. Hannibal didn’t say anything, allowing him the space. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say and muttered out, “I’m sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry for Will, as I said before, your reactions are very normal. I didn’t want to overs step, and I was not sure what aftercare you would allow.”

He pulled out a book to look at it, barely glancing up at Hannibal over it before he looked down. “After care?”

“Making sure you are safe and calm after.” Hannibal tilted his head, “I’m going to be blunt so we can discuss this and move on from it. I know it will make you uncomfortable but please be honest.”

He shoved the book back on the shelf harder than he needed to, wincing and turned back towards Hannibal. If they were going to have a serious conversation he could be an adult and sit down and actually talk. “Okay.”

“You go under very quickly - into head space. And when you do besides the dog aspect, you are very…” His eyes narrowed but there was no other word for it, not if he was going to be straightforward. “Submissive. I think you respond in ways that you yourself didn’t expect to, and we need to talk about what you do or don’t want because I’m not sure when you are under you will properly manage your limits. Afterwards you clearly had a strong emotional response, and I would like to be able to provide more… care. To let you come down in a safe environment.” 

Will could only stare, big wide eyes, though his mouth opened and closed a few times. It was a lot to take in. He muttered, “Can I have a minute to think about all that.”

“Of course.” He motioned to the table where Will’s food remained mostly untouched, “Maybe try to eat a bit more.”

He nodded, picking up his fork, eating on auto pilot as he tried to come to terms with what Hannibal was saying. He’d been aware of some of it, knew that the calm authority the other man had was part of what he liked. He just didn’t want to put a name to it. “You think I’m submissive?” He waved a hand before Hannibal could answer. “Don’t… just. I think I understand what you’re saying. I had no idea that I would,” Will winced, damn this was humiliating, “lick you. I don’t remember deciding to do that. How am I supposed to know what I’m going to do if I don’t know I’m going to do it?”

“I think we could establish what your hard limits are, and then simply allow yourself to experience whatever happens within them, without reservation or embarrassment.”

Will snorted, easy for him to say, he wasn’t the one doing them. Though. “And you’re okay with this? What if I stomp all over something that is a limit for you? I mean, you’re the one that was getting…” Involuntarily he trailed off as the words caught in his throat and he cleared it. “What if I do something to make you uncomfortable?”

“You’ll find I’m very open minded, Will. I don’t believe you could do anything that would make me uncomfortable or harm our friendship. Especially as I said, you are very easy to handle when you are in this state, I’m sure you would be easily dissuaded.”

Will couldn’t help the scowl at that, what it sounded like, and he said the first thing that came to mind, trying to lighten the mood. “You say that now, wait till I end up humping your leg.” He choked on air the moment he realized what he had said and he wouldn’t blame Hannibal if he had him pack up and sent him on his way, but the only response from him was a chuckle. 

Hannibal didn’t acknowledge he had said anything other than that, simply continued, and Will was grateful for that. “Given what I have already seen I think there are things that you would like, that would help your calm, even if you may be uncomfortable with them. I would ask that you trust me, and if there is anything you are uncomfortable with or didn’t want to do, it would be all your decision.”

His plate was empty and his stomach comfortably full, and he sighed. Will felt like he was in over his head, not quite sure of himself, but he nodded. 

And this part wasn’t entirely ethical, but he knew it would bring forth honesty. “I thought to suggest that we do a short session now, and discuss your hard limits during it. You will be more forthcoming and honest with yourself, I think.”

Will was certain that Hannibal had just said he couldn’t be trusted when he was under, and he was nervous about what he would allow or wouldn’t. “I can change it though, right? At any time.”

“Of course.”

“Alright.” He watched Hannibal clear away the plates, and couldn’t stop the excitement in his stomach. “I have to go back to class though.”

“We will keep it simple, perhaps just being in the position and allowing yourself to relax will help.” He sat back down after grabbing something from his desk and beckoned towards him. 

It was all it took for Will to move, kneeling when he reached him, eyes going to the piece of leather in his hands. His mouth went dry and he surprised himself by shaking his head. “I don’t want to put that on here. The first time I put it on I want to be able to … enjoy it.” He didn’t look at the man as he said it, but the words made it out and he could feel Hannibal nod and move slightly. 

“Of course, Will.” There was no reprimand in the words as he thought there might be, just a soft pleased sound to it. His hands were empty now and he patted his thigh.

It wasn’t quite like he normally felt and Will moved closer until he could lean against his thigh, shifting to press his shoulder against him. It didn’t matter that it felt awkward, as soon as Hannibal’s hand dropped to his shoulder and then slid to his hair he closed his eyes and sighed, settling all his weight against Hannibal.

There was a murmured ‘good boy’ above him, not far enough gone that it didn’t make him flush, but he only took a few deep breaths. He waited for Hannibal to tell him what was next, and when the silence dragged on he remembered he was supposed to be giving his limits. He made a small helpless sound, turning his head into the hand in his hair just to feel his fingers.

“Limits, Will?”

“Not hurt.”

“I will not hurt you.” Hannibal waited but nothing else was said and he gently stroked his fingers, keeping his voice gentle, “Do you want me to help you?”

“Please.”

The man was so on edge, so strung tight, he probably could have been pushed by nearly anyone. So desperate to be taken care of. “I think you need to be touched more. You are averse to it normally, but when you are under you seek it out. I think more skin contact would help.”

The words made it through, “More skin contact? You mean less clothes?”

“Yes.” He waited for some kind of protest but all Will did was shift his weight. “I think you would find stability in obedience training, for lack of a better word.”

That did finally trigger a response as Will flinched against him and muttered, “Jesus Hannibal, that’s a little much, don’t you think?” His voice was twisted in want though, and Hannibal tightened his fingers for a moment before he relaxed them.

“Do you want that to be a limit then?” Only his hand in his hair let him feel the small shake of Will’s head. “Good. And I think perhaps we should try a longer time period. I’d like to let you stay at it until you bring yourself out, or it is a productive point for me to intervene, instead of a timer.”

“Yes.” No hesitation in that answer and Hannibal hummed. 

“Afterwards I’d like you to let me settle you, feed you, whatever else may help you come down calmly. I’d suggest the next time we try it is at my house, so we can focus on you without your dogs.”

Against his leg Will’s eyes were half closed, body lax, and he wasn’t entirely sure the man even heard everything he said. He gave the curls a tug, “Will.”

“Okay.”

They hadn’t established any limits past what Will already had, but Hannibal felt like he had a good idea of what Will wanted, of what would help him. And he had been given permission to handle it in the way he felt was best for Will. Asking him under these conditions was questionable, aware that he was under, but he had Will's best interests in mind.

“Thursday, for your normal session. Come to my house, we can have dinner, chat about whatever is going on and then we can work on this. I’d like it if you would agree, at least this time, to spend the night.”

“Sure.”

Hannibal let him stay there for several minutes, petting his hair, before he pulled away and gave him a little nudge. Will seemed reluctant to get up but Hannibal insisted, helping to his feet and directing him to sit. “Let me get you a cup of coffee.”

He blindly nodded, trying to bring his thoughts back together, and gave Hannibal a tight grin. “Thank you, for all of this.”

“Of course Will, it is what friends are for.”

Will wasn’t entirely sure of that, this seemed much more far reaching than what a friend would do, but he would take it if the man was offering it. It was strange to trust someone that much, especially when he hadn’t even known him all that long, but something just felt right about it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hannibal is making things a little slashier and more unethical than I intended them to be. He's unavoidable :D


	6. Chapter 6

Wednesday passed by in a blur, but Thursday dragged. He didn’t hear from Jack at all and for that he was thankful, and he tried not to think about if it was because the man had no interest in trying to get on his good side right now, or if Hannibal had done something, and he found himself not caring enough to find out.

He asked his neighbor if they could look in on his dogs for the night and had packed a bag, but it still didn’t feel real. He asked Hannibal if he should bring anything and was told only if there was anything he felt he needed, but that otherwise Hannibal had it covered. And it was less intimidating that way, he didn’t worry that Hannibal would be shocked or disgusted with him, not if everything there was provided by Hannibal. 

And if he had to bet, he would say the man probably knew that.

All day long he felt self conscious, like anyone that looked at him knew what he was going to be doing that night, like his students could  _ see _ it. If he was more awkward than usual no one mentioned it. To be honest, no one probably noticed anything was different from his normal twitchy self. 

Once he finished his last class for the day and had everything settled he dawdled in his office. It was too early to go to Hannibal’s, he’d be at least an hour early, and he slumped into his desk chair. Through the nerves he was excited. About getting to relax, about getting to let go… about getting to see Hannibal. And yeah, the thought of him kneeling there and Hannibal putting a collar on him was exciting too, just in a  _ different  _ way. With a nervous chuckle he shoved that thought down, way way down, because that was not what he needed in his life.

He pulled out his phone and tapped it a few times before he pulled up Hannibal’s number, hesitating for a minute before he typed out a message.

“ _ Hey Hannibal, Are we still on for tonight?” _ As soon as he sent it he felt needy, but it didn't stop him from staring at his phone, willing Hannibal to message him back. Even though his stomach dropped at the thought that if Hannibal did want to call it off he had given him an easy opening.

When his phone dinged he nearly dropped it, rolling his eyes at himself as he opened the message. 

“ _ Of course, Will. Unless something has come up?” _

“ _ No, just making sure. I finished classes for the day. _ ”

Part of him hoped that Hannibal would tell him to come over early, but his only response was a short message telling Will he would see him soon and he sighed as he leaned back in the chair. Great, it left him with a bunch of time to overthink, just what he needed

  
  


By the time he arrived at Hannibal’s he had gone from excited to anxious, and he thought about calling the whole thing off, but deep down he knew that Hannibal would know what to do, what to say to calm him down. It was a strange, but welcome, feeling to know that someone would help him.

He knocked on the door and fidgeted as he waited for Hannibal to answer it. It was a bit longer than usual, and he must have caught him preparing dinner. He kept himself from knocking again, it was rude, and finally the door pulled open.

Hannibal was smiling and he responded with one of his own immediately, could feel his body relax just at the sight. He ducked his head without meeting his eyes, unnerved by the strength of his response. “Hello.”

“Hello, Will. Sorry to keep you waiting, I had a late start on dinner due to a patient. Please come in.”

Will let him take his coat as he toed off his boots, and followed Hannibal towards the kitchen. It smelled amazing and his stomach grumbled. Hannibal glanced back at him, a shadow of disapproval on his face, “Did you eat today?”

“I had some coffee.” He knew there was a challenge in his voice, because he was an adult and he would eat what he wanted, when he wanted, and thought he might be disappointed when Hannibal’s only response was a quiet hum. 

A quiet chuckle pulled him out of his thoughts and he turned his attention to Hannibal. “What?”

Hannibal glanced up to meet his eyes, and he could see him debate how to answer but there was finally a quirk of his lips, “I was thinking how you insisted you were not a pet that needed to be fed.”

“I’m not-”

“And yet, without meals made for you, you haven’t eaten.”

They stared at each other in silence and it was Will that looked away, crossing his arms over his chest. “And what about it?”

“Just an observation.”

“Right.”

Hannibal didn’t push it, but the small smile stayed on his face as he turned his attention to cooking dinner. He could feel Will’s eyes on him but it didn’t last and he knew exactly when Will’s eyes landed on the cooling rack. There were small dog bone shaped cookies, obvious what they were and his smile widened at the slight intake of breath.

“Did you make dog treats?”

He glanced at the treats, and though he felt something like offense at the description, he knew that it was essentially what he had done. With elevated ingredients, of course. “Yes.”

Will’s irritation about being told to eat faded, replaced with the warmth that came from someone caring about him enough to go so out of the way. He wasn’t sure what to say, and finally settled for a soft, “Thank you.”

Even Hannibal’s food wasn’t able to completely distract Will, but he ate enough to appease him, unable to even be resentful when Hannibal tutted at him for not eating more. “Are you not enjoying the food, Will?”

He glanced up at him, and gave him an embarrassed smile, “It’s not the food, just nerves.” He did eat more though, cheeks flushed at the approving sound from Hannibal.

After dinner Will helped Hannibal clean up despite his protests that he was fine doing it himself. Will normally wasn’t comfortable at other’s houses, or anywhere but his own home really, but he was here. And helping to clean up felt like something he should do. Like it somehow secured that he was more than just a simple guest.

“Shall we retire to the den?”

Will couldn’t help a snort of laughter at that, but smothered it in a cough. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to how Hannibal spoke. “Sure.” 

Hannibal detoured quickly to grab the cookies he had made and then they moved to the other room and Will hovered at the doorway, the nerves coming back in a sudden wave that made him flush. “Right.” He looked down at himself and tugged at his shirt, remembering what Hannibal had said about more skin, but he found himself shy.

“Will? If you are uncomfortable, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.” He chewed his lip for a moment, they hadn’t talked about how much clothing he was going to take off, and he wished now that he had discussed it more. He shook his head, too late now, he didn’t want more words. So he pulled off his shirt without giving it too much thought, resisting the urge to cross his arms over his chest. He haphazardly folded the shirt and set it down on a chair, and looked to Hannibal to make sure he was doing what he was supposed to.

Hannibal only gave him that reassuring smile as he settled onto the couch. Will didn’t miss as he reached for something in a bag next to it, and he was certain it was the collar, his heart speeding up. 

He stumbled forward until he was in front of Hannibal and after a moments hesitation he dropped down to his knees, instinctively tilting his chin up, baring his throat. This was what he wanted, what he  _ needed _ .

“Do you remember your safe word Will? Since we are not setting a timer I feel it is especially important.”

He nodded his head, edging forward slightly, and Hannibal raised an eyebrow at him. “And what is it?”

It brought Will’s attention back to Hannibal where he was already starting to lose himself, and his mouth twisted. He met Hannibal’s eyes, just for a moment before he looked down at the ground and tried to remember. He had picked it after all. A minute passed in silence and he sighed, aggravated, “I don’t remember.”

Hannibal leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, his tone mildly disapproving, “I want you to be able to relax Will, and be safe. I can’t trust either of those if you don’t take it seriously.”

“I am.” It sounded like Hannibal was going to end their session and he edged forward on his knees and closed his eyes, trying to remember. It took a few seconds but then his eyes were open and he blurted out, “Whiskey.”

“Excellent. Are you ready to begin?”

“Please.” He barely recognized his own voice, breathy and desperate. 

“Come here.”

He rocked forward onto his hands and crawled towards him, could feel the stress melting away, and when he reached him he sat back on his knees, eyes up to Hannibal’s face as he tilted his chin up again.

“Good boy.” Hannibal brought a hand up to cup the side of his face and then pet back to his hair and his eyes closed, swallowing. He kept them closed even as he felt the pressure around his neck, quiet sound of leather moving through a buckle as it tightened.

When Hannibal’s hands dropped away Will moved to press against his legs, body language begging to be touched more, to be pet, and Hannibal obliged, fingers dragging through his curls, scratching against his scalp.

He smiled down at Will, moving his hand from his hair to his shoulders, gently pressing against them until the tension left them. He watched him carefully, not entirely sure how Will would react to the skin to skin contact but his weight only settled heavier against his legs, and he couldn’t help a slight smugness to his grin. He had such a good handle on what Will needed, and it was gratifying to see the proof. 

When he was sure that Will was relaxed, that he was in the right headspace he sat back, giving the collar a playful tug. There was a quiet whimper at the loss of touch but he didn’t give in, instead he dropped his voice with the low authority. “Will, sit.”

Another whine, though this one sounded more petulant, but after long seconds at a standoff Will finally gave, sitting back on his heels somewhat awkwardly with his hands still on the ground, but he looked dazed. Already under. “Good, Will.” He held out his palm with one of the cookies and Will’s eyes darted up to him before he leaned over to take it. There was the barest brush of teeth and tongue on his palm, the sensation making a pleasant shiver go through his body and then Will was sitting back.

Though he had mentioned obedience training, that wasn’t the plan for tonight. He had the bag of toys that he had brought to Will’s house, and wanted to give him time to play. Save anything more rigid for when they had set up a regular routine. A nudge against his leg and he turned his attention back to Will. He twisted to reach in the bag next to the couch and pulled out a toy, wincing at the high pitch squeak that came from it.

Will’s eyes landed on it though and he dropped down into a play bow, body swaying in a way reminiscent of wagging. With a chuckle he gave it a toss. Will scrambled to chase after it, bending down to grab it between his teeth, biting down several times so the squeak filled the room and he settled down on the ground with it. Hannibal raised an eyebrow, “Bring it back.”

He expected Will to ignore him but he was back up and moving towards him, hard to tell if he was smiling with the toy clenched between his teeth, but his eyes were wide, happy. Practically sparkling. He stopped in front of Hannibal and tilted his head like he was handing him the toy, but when he grabbed it Will clenched down, yanking it out of his grip.

“Oh, that’s the game is it.” He grabbed it again, a tighter grip, and there was a quick tussle over it before he lost his rip and Will scrambled back a few steps. He dropped the toy, panting around a smile as he nudged it forward.

It went on like that for a while, Hannibal coaxing the toy away by trading it for a treat, until Will took the toy and laid down with it, chewing on it. Eventually he grew bored with it, and left it on the ground, making his way back to Hannibal. When he reached him he pressed against his legs, closing his eyes when Hannibal ran his fingers through his hair. “What a good boy you are.” 

After long minutes Will pulled away, carefully placing one hand on the couch before he looked at Hannibal. He playfully narrowed his eyes, “Normally no dogs on the couch, but I’ll make an exception.” He patted the couch.

With a huff Will pushed himself up onto the touch, unbalanced at the awkward position on all fours but eventually he sat back, and then laid down so he was curled up next to Hannibal, his head on his leg. He made a content sound, pressing into Hannibal’s hand when he pet him again. It was clear he was starting to doze off, and though part of Hannibal wanted to let him, to watch him sleep curled up next to him so trusting, it was more important to make sure that when he did fall asleep he was comfortable. That he would wake up well rested. 

“Will?” He kept his voice soft, pushing his curls away from his forehead. “Can you hear me Will?”

He didn’t use the tone he did when Will was a dog, and the difference made it through, sleepy half closed eyes looking up at him, clear that he couldn’t quite focus but he was paying attention. He pressed against Hannibal again and muttered, “Not ready yet.”

“Alright, Will.” They sat in a companionable silence, and Hannibal let his hands trail over Will’s shoulder, down his back, even now the man pressing into the touch. Arching into it like a cat more than a dog. So touch starved, he would see what he could do with that. He reached up to the collar, fingers on the buckle.

“Don’t.” The word was muttered and muffled. 

Hannibal let his fingers trail across it, unable to stop the jolt of possessiveness at Will wearing his collar, at him not wanting to take it off. To distract himself he gave it a tug, “Come on Will, let’s get you to bed.”

A whine came from him, still somewhere in the mindset, and Hannibal gently moved him until he was off his lap and moved to his feet. It only took a little prodding to get him to move to his feet, and he sleepily followed Hannibal towards the spare room. He had already placed his bag in there, and once they were in the room Will just stood there aimlessly, so malleable in this state. It would be so easy to take advantage of it, and normally he would, but Will was unlike anyone he had ever met. And he only felt protective.

“Come on.” He opened Will’s bag and pulled out clothes to sleep in, not shying away from helping Will get undressed. He moved as he was directed and once he was redressed in sleeping clothes, Hannibal pushed him towards the bed. Will paused near it, pulling in closer on himself as he eyed it, before turning to Hannibal. 

“Can you stay?”

“Until you are settled, yes.” 

It looked like he wanted to say more, to ask more, but he only nodded and crawled under the covers when Hannibal held them up. He tucked them up around him and stroked Will’s hair, unable to stop his smile when Will’s eyes fluttered shut.. “That’s it, sweet boy. Rest.”

The words barely even made it through to him before he gave in and fell into a calm, peaceful sleep.


End file.
